Tech Session- Distinguished Guest Speaker

"Earthquakes and water (and why the Lusi mud eruption in Indonesia was not caused by an earthquake)"

Abstract:
Distant earthquakes are well known to induce a wide range of responses in surface water and groundwater. These responses are often viewed as mere curiosities as their occurrence is limited in space and time. The observed phenomena, however, probe the interaction between hydrogeological processes and mechanical deformation in the shallow crust. Hence they provide insight into the interaction between the water cycle, tectonics, and properties of the crust. In this talk I will review observations and explanations for hydrologic responses to earthquakes. I will end by discussing the LUSI mud volcano eruption in Indonesia, whether it too was caused by an earthquake, and will also predict when the eruption will end.

Friday Seminar Series: Dr. Alfred Lacazette, Global Geophysical Svc

Seminar will be video streamed: http://mediasite.beg.utexas.edu/Media/Viewer/?peid=4c1582edbc7849ff94746e84eb751d76

Title: Tomographic Fracture Imaging: A new microseismic technology

Abstract:
This presentation will:
• Describe a new, patented, surface-based microseismic method that directly images induced and natural fracture flow paths in the reservoir as complex surfaces, not dots-in-a-box.
• Present an extensive data set from a 15-well project that validates Tomographic Fracture Images (TFIs) with independent data including: conventional borehole microseismic data, radioactive frac tracers, chemical frac tracers, borehole images, open- and cased-hole production logs, pore-pressure measurements, geochemical fingerprinting, and geomechanical analysis.
• Review applications of TFIs, which include Discrete Fracture Network frac and reservoir simulation, field development planning, well spacing analysis, and even exploration via quiet-time monitoring of ambient microseismic activity on 3D reflection grids.
The method is orders of magnitude more sensitive than traditional microseismic methods because it looks at cumulative signal from each voxel over time rather than attempting to discriminate individual microseismic events. However, conventional hypocenters and microearthquake focal mechanisms are also extracted from the field data.

No rivers flow on today's Mars, but rovers and orbiters have found >3 Ga-old sedimentary rocks, dry rivers and paleolakes, and aqueous minerals. Do these indicate a past period of long-term climate stability? This talk is about extracting environmental information from the sedimentary stratigraphy and geomorphology of early Mars. We seek global constraints on the nature of the early wet era, and local environmental information to guide the hunt for Martian organic matter and hydrocarbons.

First I will discuss results from Gale-Aeolis-Zephyria, an ancient fluvial-aeolian depocenter that includes Gale Crater. Basin analysis and sequence stratigraphy are applicable to Mars, with some modifications for use on a tectonically quiescent desert planet. Earth's continents are shaped by competition between tectonics and runoff, but Gale-Aeolis-Zephyria records a competition between aeolian processes and runoff. At Aeolis-Zephyria, a 300m-thick fluvial-aeolian succession records >= 1 Myr of runoff. 1m-resolution HiRISE DTMs confirm continuous outcrop of point bars and channel deposits in plan-view outcrop over 100 km distances (1000 km in one case). Within the sequence, paleohydrology constrains runoff production, and regionally extensive facies transitions allow climate changes to be inferred. Small impact craters embedded within river deposits place an upper limit on ancient atmospheric pressure and constrain paleo-sedimentation rate. The "Curiosity" rover is currently exploring the moat encircling a 5km-high sediment mound in Gale Crater. This moat-and-mound pattern is common in Mars craters and canyons, but its origin is unknown. I will set out the evidence that moats and mounds grew together, shaped by slope winds down the crater and mound flanks.

Moving from regional data to global modeling, I will use a snowmelt model to understand the global environmental context of sedimentary rock formation on Mars. Climate models struggle to maintain annual mean temperatures >273K on early Mars, making snowmelt an attractive candidate water source for cementation. Some (rare) fluvial landforms are surprisingly recent. Results from a mesoscale model suggest that these deposits record transient, localized conditions, rather than a global return to wet conditions. Taken together, data and models hint at an early Martian climate comparable to the Antarctic Dry Valleys. "Curiosity" will soon be in a position to test this hypothesis.

Abstract: The power sector is commonly seen as offering the largest potential for growth in gas consumption in today’s low price environment. But there are numerous factors, with dynamic interactions, that can impact the level of gas use. We use the AURORAxmp software to evaluate the impact of several key issues that has relevance for gas consumption by the power sector in the near future: the impact of Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), and Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) and its implementation standards for power plants, Mercury and Air Toxic Standards (MATS). We only simulate the Eastern Interconnect (EI) and ERCOT regions since states covered by CSAPR are located in these regions. We test the sensitivity of this scenario to natural gas price fluctuations, a price on CO2, different levels of renewable incentives, and nuclear retirements. Finally, evaluate the impact of CREZ (competitive renewable energy zones) transmission expansion in ERCOT (Texas). Independently, we investigate the impact of proposed increases in the level of energy prices in the ERCOT market on average electricity prices, retirements, new builds (type of generation & fuel use) and the reserve margin. There is a concern that sufficient new generation capacity will not be built in Texas to maintain a desired level of reliability if energy price caps are not increased or a capacity market is instituted. Our research informs this debate.

A fundamental question when assessing the fate of a chemical perturbation in a natural system is “how much of this perturbation was biodegraded vs. dispersed and diluted?” Measurements of the stable isotopes of the chemical perturbation help to answer this question due to Rayleigh fractionation, a kinetic process that occurs in this case during biodegradation but not dilution. However, this process is not straight-forward when microorganisms grow up in response to an increased food source. Laboratory measurements and models produce conflicting results on how microbes isotopically fractionate chemicals during different stages of microbial growth. The answer to this debate may be revealed by the Deepwater Horizon incident where microbes bloomed in response to the increased hydrocarbon abundances following the well blowout. After introducing the original debate, this talk will present the concentration, rate, and isotope data related to the Deepwater Horizon incident to provide insights into this fundamental isotopic process and ultimately lead to a more quantitative framework for assessing the fate of future releases.

Ice is an abundant phase of water in the solar system, however, we are currently limited in our knowledge of in situ microbial activity in icy environments, specifically in subglacial systems and in ice. Glaciological processes under ice masses, including ice sheets, produce conditions favorable for microbes by forming subglacial aquatic environments through basal melting and providing nutrients and energy for microbes from bedrock comminution. Microbes have been found in subglacial waters, subglacial sediments and basal ice from all types of glacial systems and we have demonstrated activity of glacial isolates at temperatures as low as minus 30oC under laboratory conditions. We have also demonstrated subglacial microbial activity as a driver of chemical weathering in glaciated systems, through microbial, geochemical and isotopic analyses of glacial meltwaters and sediments and laboratory microcosms simulating in situ conditions. The implications of our research findings will be discussed both in terms of elemental (C, N, S, N, Fe) cycling in the present day cryosphere and for glacial times in Earth history and for future astrobiological investigations.

Join us for a spirited and balanced discussion about one of the most critical issues of our time – energy. Filmmaker Gregory Kallenberg and expert panelists will discuss whether natural gas can help achieve a cleaner energy future and address the realities of drilling.

Panel includes Tad Patzek, chair of Dept. of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering; Kate Galbraith of the Texas Tribune; Paul Goodfellow of Shell.

Abstract: The Piceance Basin in northwest Colorado is a major natural gas producing basin in the State of Colorado. Despite recent success in developing shale gas resources in the basin, the main gas bearing unit in the basin remain the tight gas sandstones of the Upper Cretaceous lower Williams Fork Formation.

The lower Williams Fork Formation in the Piceance Basin is a very low (~20%) net-to-gross succession, composed of isolated channel sandstone bodies encased in overbank mudrock interpreted as meandering fluvial systems of varying sinuosity within a coastal-plain, marginal marine setting.

Analysis of sand-body distribution reveals that fluvial channel sands are not randomly distributed but are predictable in their spatial and stratigraphic position that correlate to "sweet spots". Sand bodies are organized in distinct intervals of clustered channel belts, each ~400 ft (~122 m) thick, topped by a thin coal layer. The resulting channel-belt clusters are compensationally stacked. This channel organization occurs on different time scales, channel clustering is the dominant form of channel organization over a shorter period (channel and channel-belt scale 10s ky to 100s ky), compensational stacking occurred over a much longer time scale (channel cluster belts, ~?400 ky).

The primary control on the cluster formation is autogenic channel avulsion during an overall aggradational phase. Short-lived changes in basin accommodation caused by either changes in tectonic subsidence or high-frequency eustatic changes due to Milankovitch-band orbital forcing at the end of each cluster interval result in a distinct increase in channel thickness and coal formation towards the end of each cycle. On the longest time scale (??1 to 1.5 My), which encompasses the entire lower Williams Fork, changes in channel geometries and sand-body thickness seem to be controlled mainly by long-term changes in eustasy, and autogenic processes are of lesser importance.

"Geoscience Education and Diversity Programs at NSF: Recent Changes and New Opportunities"

Abstract:

The Directorate for Geosciences (GEO) provides funding support through several programs to improve public understanding of Earth system science and to prepare the geoscience workforce of the future. Recent reports and guidance from the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), among others, have identified priorities for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education that are leading to significant programmatic changes across the National Science Foundation. Among these priorities are renewed focus on undergraduate STEM education and retention, preparation of qualified STEM teachers, broadening participation of underrepresented minorities in STEM fields, and scaling-up of evidence-based best practices for STEM education. The Directorate for Geosciences (GEO) is reviewing its portfolio of grant programs to ensure that the most relevant priorities are being addressed and to make sure that GEO's programs are well-aligned with activities being supported through the Directorate for Education and Human Resources. This informal presentation will highlight some of the recent changes being made or under consideration at NSF and invite community discussion about other needs related to geoscience education and diversity.

Friday Seminar Series: Dr. Bruce Yardley, University of Leeds, UK

Start:

October 26, 2012 at 9:00 am

End:

October 26, 2012 at 10:00 am

Location:

BEG room 1.202

Contact:

Jenny Turner, jenny.turner@beg.utexas.edu, 512/471-2677

Prof. Bruce Yardley, of the University of Leeds (UK),is the current Cuyler Lecturer -- an endowed visiting lectureship funded through the Geology Foundation. Bruce has wide-ranging expertise. To view some of his research foci from his website: http://www.see.leeds.ac.uk/people/b.yardley.

Title Presentation: "The Impact of CO2-Water-Mineral Interactions on the Properties of Reservoirs: Can We Rely on Models?"

From Bruce's Website: From Bruce's website(http://www.see.leeds.ac.uk/people/b.yardley):

My research interests are in fluid processes in the Earth's crust, and span a wide range of topics including aspects of ore formation, diagenesis and prograde and retrograde metamorphism. I am particularly interested in chemical mass transfer by fluids and in the cycle of interactions between fluid flow, temperature, mineralogical reactions and the rheology of the crust.

The techniques that my group employ include field and petrographic observations, rock and mineral analysis, fluid inclusion studies (including multi-element chemical analysis), experimental studies and geochemical modelling of fluid rock interaction. I am interested in exploiting results from the study of active processes today for the improved understanding of ancient flow regimes.

My major research activity at the present time is in 3 areas. One, in collaboration with David Banks, is centred around an LA-ICP-MS laboratory for fluid inclusion analysis. We have installed an Agilent 7500c ICP-MS and a Geolas Q excimer laser system which has been optimised for laser ablation analysis of fluid inclusions in natural and synthetic quartz, although it is also used for other projects. Secondly, I am involved in research on the effect of the sequestration of CO2 into old oil or gas reservoirs and aquifers, in particular the interactions between gas, minerals and water. I have been part of the UK Carbon Capture and Storage Consortium, and have a new project, the CRIUS Consortium, with Cambridge, Manchester and BGS to investigate the kinetics of solution trapping. Thirdly, I have been collaborating with Prof Wilhelm Heinrich's group at GFZ Potsdam to investigate the kinetics of hydration reactions in crystalline crust.

I am a founding editor of the Blackwells journal "Geofluids" which was set up to disseminate ideas across the range of sub-disciplines in which Geofluids research is carried out.

Projected changes in climate this century dwarf changes seen during the modern instrumental period. In order to increase credibility, it is important that climate models are shown to match true 'out-of-sample' examples of significant climate change for which evidence exists in the paleo-climate record. However, directly using paleo-climate model/observation comparisons to inform future projections is difficult. With the increased scope of the CMIP5 project including both future and paleo simulations using the same models, we have a unique opportunity to explore how to best make use of this information. I will discuss some of the issues and some preliminary results from these comparisons.

A key objective of Stage 2 of the CO2CRC Otway Project is to explore the ability of geophysical methods to detect and monitor injection of greenhouse gas into a saline formation. For this purpose, injection of some 10,000 - 30,000 tonnes of CO2-rich mixture into the Paaratte formation, a saline aquifer located at a depth of about 1,400 m, is planned. Before such an injection experiment is undertaken, we assess the feasibility of geophysical monitoring using computer modeling. To examine the detectability of the plume we need to estimate the time-lapse signal and time-lapse noise. The time lapse signal is modeled using flow simulations, fluid substitution and seismic forward modeling. In order to assess the applicability of time-lapse seismic to monitor the injection, the predicted signal is compared to the time-lapse noise level from the recent 4D seismic survey acquired at the Otway site in 2009-2010. The methodology is applied to two alternative reservoir intervals located at a depth of 1392-1399 m and 1445-1465 m below the sea level, respectively. These intervals are considered to be the two possible options for the injection. The results show that injection into the lower interval will produce a plume of a larger thickness and smaller lateral extent, and a seismic response that is more likely to be detectable. The developed feasibility assessment workflow, and the results of its application to the Otway site, can be used to assess the ability of seismic methods to detect and monitor greenhouse gas leakage in other CCS projects.

Dr. Boris Gurevich received his MSc in exploration geophysics from Moscow University in 1981, and PhD in geophysics from the Institute of Geosystems in Moscow in 1988. From 1981 until 1993 he worked as a researcher for the Institute of Geosystems. In 1995-2000 he worked as a research geophysicist at the Geophysical Institute of Israel. In 2001 he joined Curtin University and CSIRO in Perth, Western Australia. Boris currently serves as the Head of Department of Exploration Geophysics of Curtin University and Director of the Curtin Reservoir Geophysics Consortium (CRGC), and leads the Geophysical Monitoring Project within the Commonwealth Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC). His research interests include rock physics, seismic wave propagation, and seismic imaging. Since 2006 he has served as an Associate Editor of Geophysics.